


The Invasion

by Zelda2h2



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, WinterShock - Freeform, a little all over the place I'm sorry, first time meeting family, wintershock firsts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 02:50:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4860194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelda2h2/pseuds/Zelda2h2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For mcuwintershock 's Firsts on Tumblr</p><p>"What if I told ya I wanted to meet her?"</p><p>"Why on Tolkien's green Middle Earth would you wanna do that?"</p><p>Bucky shrugged, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Family's important."</p><p>"So's my sanity." Darcy grumbled into his chest. She relaxed when he started rubbing circles onto her lower back and eventually sighed calmly. "Alright. You can meet my mother. But know this- minimal PDA, we've never had premarital sex, you don't live here and please for the love of god hide your guns."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Invasion

Queen of the Universes:

We have a problem.  
Lvl 10.  
Come home now!!

Bucky received the text when he and Steve were at a gym in Hell's Kitchen, practicing with a few boxing hopefuls. 

Steve barely convinced Bucky to take his gloves off before he took off sprinting to his and Darcy's shared apartment in Brooklyn.

They'd moved out of the base after being together for eight months- their place was a brownstone in the Village. It was big enough for two people that shared a bedroom, and almost looked like something you'd see on a sitcom. 

Darcy was pacing in the hall, fingers tangled in her hair. She looked like she was muttering to herself. Bucky stopped in front of her, assessing for any damages. 

"If I wasn't so stressed I would commend you on your timing." She muttered. 

"What's wrong- is there someone here? Are you hurt?" Bucky turned her around, felt for broken bones, but found nothing. 

"My mother's coming to visit." 

He couldn't understand why she said it with so much dread- if it were his Ma, were she still with them, he'd be beyond happy to see her. But Darcy bared a close resemblance to a man on death row who'd just been told his execution got bumped up. 

"That's a level ten problem?" Bucky raised an eyebrow. 

"You have no idea. The woman will spend the whole time judging. You need to leave town for a few days- save yourself." It was then Bucky noticed the suitcase by her feet, as well as the box of photographs of the two of them that had accumulated over the months. 

"Darcy, doll- are you feelin' okay?" He chuckled. "It's just your mother- how bad can it be?"

"Bad! So very bad!" Darcy shouted, rubbing her eyes in frustration. 

"What if I told ya I wanted to meet her?"

"Why on Tolkien's green Middle Earth would you wanna do that?"

Bucky shrugged, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Family's important."

"So's my sanity." Darcy grumbled into his chest. She relaxed when he started rubbing circles onto her lower back and eventually sighed calmly. "Alright. You can meet my mother. But know this- minimal PDA, we've never had premarital sex, you don't live here and please for the love of god hide your guns."

It turned out, most of the suitcase was filled with Bucky's various weapons. "Doll- there is a way you take a part a sniper rifle. That is not it."

"I was in a hurry! The woman only gave me two and a half hours notice!" Darcy had been cleaning like a madwoman since they got back inside- more than either of them ever had put together in their past month of living together. "What are you gonna wear?"

"Um..." Bucky looked down at his workout clothes and Darcy glared. 

"Go shower and put on a clean shirt. And those nice jeans-"

"The ones that itch?"

"You're damn right. They're the only ones that don't have some kind of bullet hole or permanent stain from alien blood."

In the time that it took Bucky to do as he was told, Darcy had a chicken in the oven, her hair and makeup done, and any evidence she had deemed incriminating stowed away. Of course, he'd taken a bit longer than usual to get cleaned up properly. 

"I'd like to request your approval?" He chuckled, standing in their kitchenette. 

"Babe so long as- holy shite." Darcy had been trying to open a bottle of wine when she turned around. 

He'd picked up the grey slacks the week before, some part of him itching for the past life where he dressed to impress. He tried to keep his shirt casual, rolling up the sleeves and going without a tie. Of course the obvious issue with that is Darcy's mother would learn very quickly of his... physical affliction. 

"Damn. God damn. You look..." Darcy bit her lip. "Yummy. Delicious as all hell."

"You too." Bucky grinned, leaning against the counter, taking in how great her dress pants looked clinging to her thighs, the low swoop of the neckline of her maroon top-

Three sharp knocks broke his appreciation. Darcy flinched before giving a dramatic shudder and humming a funeral march. 

Bucky followed her to the door, keeping his hands behind his back and his posture straight. 

In truth- he was nervous as all hell. This was Darcy's mother- the person that had brought her into this world. Her opinion mattered to him, a lot. Parents were supposed to have an intuition about these things. And Darcy was the first dame that he'd been with long enough to meet the parents since the ninth grade. 

Darcy opened the door and was swept up into a massive hug by a woman just shorter than her, who was letting out a high pitched squeal.

"Darcy! Oh my god look how big you are- honestly honey I know take-out's easier but haven't you been getting those recipes I've been sending you in the mail?" Darcy's mother was short, thin, and had her dark hair cut short. Her and Darcy shared the same nose and long face, but her lips were thinner and her eyes were brown. They narrowed over her daughters shoulder before going wide. 

"Yeah Ma I just haven't-"

"Oh never mind that. Aren't you going to introduce me to your guest?"

"Huh? Oh. Bucky- um, Ma this is James Barnes. Barnes this is- what is it this week? Darla?"

"Dahlia. And that's what it's always been dear." Dahlia looked like a serpent, slinking around Darcy to take a better look at Bucky. "And what are you to my daughter, James?"

"Her boyfriend, m'am. It's a pleasure to meet you." Bucky held out his right hand and gave her a charming smile. But Dahlia looked anything but charmed. 

"M'am? How old do you think I am?"

"Okay! Ma, why don't you go get comfy in the living room and Bucky can grab your bags?" Darcy forced a laugh and started pushing her mother down the hall. 

"I thought his name was James?"

"Bucky's a nickname." 

"And you say I have an identity crisis."

"You've changed your name eleven times since Christmas!"

"None the less. Does he realize that name died out in the sixties?"

Bucky bit back a laugh as he took Dahlia's things to his and Darcy's room. The woman had brought two suitcases as well as two carry ons, and it was a mystery how she had gotten them up three flights of stairs. 

He joined Darcy in the kitchenette where she was pouring wine into glasses, chugging back the one and then refilling it again. "In the time that it took her to sit down she told my my degree was a mistake, you have a cute butt and a few squats could help me along, and that you're only after my boobs."

"They are nice..." Bucky grinned and kissed her head. "She just hasn't seen you in a while."

"Don't call her m'am again please. I think she might actually combust." Darcy sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Can you bring her the booze? I need to check dinner."

"You got it." Bucky took the two glasses that were meant for himself and Dahlia into the living room. 

She was standing admiring the watercolour painting of the Brooklyn bridge that hung over the couch. "I don't know where my daughter manages to find such tacky art."

"Actually, our friend Steve painted it." Bucky tried to keep the hard edge out of his voice. But old habits die hard, and nobody insulted Steve. "It's one of his older pieces though. God knows that punks gotten better."

Dahlia raised an eyebrow at him. "You have an odd way of speaking. Where are you from?"

"Brooklyn, miss. Born and raised." It was probably better to leave out where he went after leaving Brooklyn.

"Are you the reason my daughter lives in this hovel?" 

"I convinced her, yeah. Her old place- well, she was livin' at work. That's no good for someone like Darcy. Drink?" Bucky held out the glass for her, which Dahlia seemed to appreciate. 

"Thank you I- hand. Hand." It was like the woman's brain had shut off. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she gaped at Bucky's prosthetic. Her stare made him shift uncomfortably; he loathed it when people did this. 

"Ma- Ma! What are you doing?" Darcy's voice seemed to snap her mother out of whatever daze she was in. 

"Oh I'm so sorry I just- I wasn't expecting- how did-?"

"Train accident." Bucky said quickly. "When I was a kid." 

"Oh I'm so sorry. You must think I'm completely insensitive."

"I've gotten worse reactions." Screaming in terror was only mildly worse than staring at it. 

"Well, um- James. What is it you do?"

"Military."

"Yep- that's my Sergeant." Darcy laughed nervously as they all sat. 

"I wasn't aware they allowed those with physical disabilities in the military."

Bucky flinched- wishing the wine in his hand was actually something stronger. "Yeah. Guess I was just a special case."

"Actually Ma- Bucky's best friend is Captain America." Darcy said pointedly. 

"Darcy honestly you need to stop with those wild stories!" Dahlia rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't believe the things she comes up with- that she actually works with the Avengers. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Bucky frowned, giving Darcy a look out of the corner of his eye. "Actually, Steve that painted the picture? He's Captain America. Of the Avengers."

Dahlia looked unamused. "I find the whole notion of 'super heroes' to be quite draining. We have police- why do we need men in tights as well? What good to they actually-"

The crunch sound told Bucky that he'd broken the glass in his hand, but Darcy didn't move to try and clean it up. She was too busy glaring at her mother. 

"Ma. That's what we do for a living. I help out the super heroes and /Bucky/-"

"My god what was that! Darcy get away from him, now." Dahlia's eyes were wide and she was backing away from Bucky. 

"No Ma- you don't understand-"

"I don't know what that- that thing you have is but-"

"MOTHER!" Darcy shouted, making even him jump. "Bucky lost his arm falling from a train in Nazi Germany, was tortured and experimented on for decades, brainwashed by a Nazi organization and just recently started getting his life back together. He's the bravest, sweetest man I've ever met and he would not hurt me. But /you/ are insulting not just him, but his friends. And he takes that very seriously so yes, he broke a glass. Woo hoo. Now start being nice or start walking back to the airport." 

Dahlia looked taken aback at her daughters words. "Well. I can see you took after your father after all! Pig headed, stubborn-"

"M'am. Please leave." Bucky said shortly. 

"Excuse me but I don't think you have the right-"

"But I do. I live here. I pay half the rent, I make every other meal, and I fucked your daughter in the bedroom, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, and on the couch there. Multiple times. It's just as much my place as it is hers. So I respectfully request that you get out."

Dahlia stared at him for a long time before sighing. "I must seem like a bitch."

"Little bit." Darcy had her arm around Bucky's waist. "I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be. I came here to tell you that I'm- your father and I are getting back together." Dahlia looked down at her hands. "I know I've been having some issues lately- changing my name and my hair- but your father's getting me back on track. It feels like I can be myself again."

"The Lewis' have that effect on people." Darcy beamed up at Bucky. 

"I'm sorry that I didn't believe you about what you do. God- the proof is right in front of me." Her mother laughed nervously. "Is he treating you right?" 

"Yes m'am." Darcy winked. "Holds the door open for me and everything."

"Good. And I'm sorry that I was so rude to you. I may not be the best mother, but I still worry about my daughter."

"That's alright m'am. I worry about her too." Bucky began to smile, but was still very rigid. 

"Could we start this all over?" Dahlia put her glass down and held out her left hand. "Hi, I'm Dahlia Marx-Lewis. It's nice to meet you."

Bucky tentatively held out his metal hand, but she shook it without hesitation. "James Barnes. The pleasure's all mine."

"You two are such dorks." Darcy laughed. "Think I can leave you alone long enough to get the vacuum?"

"Of course- I need to question him about his intentions, don't I?" Dahlia laughed. 

Darcy's mother stayed for three days before leaving for her father's house. One teary farewell later, Darcy was finally able to breathe easier. 

"Coulda been worse." Bucky kissed the top of her head. "Put your coat on. I wanna take you somewhere."

She looked confused, but did as she was told anyway. A short motorcycle ride later and they were at an older looking cemetery. 

"Don't tell me you're into graveyard stuff. I refuse to be another white girl that dies in a horror movie." Darcy interlocked their fingers and swung her hand as they walked down the rocky path. 

"Nope. I just thought since I got'ta meet your Ma, you'd wanna meet mine." 

They stopped in front of a modest looking headstone that read Winifred C. Barnes, her date of birth and her date of death. In front of it was a small framed photograph of a woman with dark hair and kind eyes. Her expression was stoic, but Darcy could see the smile hidden at the corner of her lips- the same one that Bucky had. 

"She's beautiful." She said. 

"She would love you." Bucky put his arm around Darcy. "You're not afraid'ta put me in my place."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Barnes. I'm sorry I didn't bring any flowers- your son didn't warn me so we didn't have time to stop. I'm Darcy."

"I talk about you a lot here." Bucky admitted. "Steve brought me here when I started to... Wake up. I try'ta come here every week."

"So this is where he creeps off to on laundry day!" Darcy laughed, pressing herself closer to Bucky. "I like your Ma- she's quieter than mine."

"Not if she was here she wouldn't be. You think your Ma knit picks? This woman would take over your kitchen and be serving up meat and potatoes before you could say how'd'ya do?" He laughed. 

For a while they stood there, telling his mother about the visit from Darcy's, and then promised to return the following week. 

"I'll have flowers for you then- promise." Darcy said. "You raised a good kid. I can't tell you how happy he makes me."

"You make him happy too." Bucky kissed her cheek. "C'mon- we've gone three days not sleeping in the same bed. Drove me crazy."

"James Buchanan Barnes your mother is right there!"


End file.
